Wire harnesses are used in a variety of electrical applications for connecting a power source to various devices. Generally, wire harnesses comprise pre-fabricated wiring with insulation and terminals ready to be attached to the power source and to one or more devices. To form the multi-wire cable or harness, a plurality of individual wires are connected together in a side-by-side relationship. Depending upon the particular electrical application, the characteristics of the wire harness may vary. For example, the length of the harness and the type and number of wires used to form it may be changed as desired.
Over the years, methods and equipment have been developed to construct wire harnesses. One known method of forming wire harnesses involves positioning a plurality of externally threaded bolts on a peg board or workpiece in a predetermined pattern for enabling wires to be wrapped around the bolts to form the harness. In practice, individual wires are wrapped around the bolts usually one at a time until the desired number of wires is included in the harness. The location of the bolts around the peg board may be arranged so that a wire harness of a particular length is formed. After the desired number of wires has been wrapped around the bolts, the completed harness may be removed from the peg board and sent to another location for further processing as necessary.
In the method and equipment described above, problems have existed in installing and re-positioning the bolts on the peg board, and in removing the completed wire harness from the peg board. For example, installing the bolt in the peg board is done manually and, therefore, involves relatively large amounts of time because usually two persons, one on each side of the peg board, are required to install the bolt. Use of such bolts has a further disadvantage in that the externally threaded bolts often have an enlarged hex head for gripping by a wrench or other installation tool. Thus, when removing the completed wire harness from the peg board, the harness is susceptible to being caught on the external bolt threads, the enlarged hex head, or both. This may cause damage to the wire harness, and it tends to increase operator time in being careful not to snag or damage the harness during removal. Additionally, it is relatively time consuming, after one wire harness has been wound, for two persons to manually remove the bolts and position them in a new location for winding a different harness.
Accordingly, there has existed a need for an improved method for forming wire harnesses and an improved bolt or pin assembly for quick installation into the peg board which prevents the completed harness from being caught on the pin assembly and damaged during removal of the harness. There further has existed a need for a pin assembly that can be rapidly removed and re-positioned in the peg board for winding a different wire harness. The present invention satisfies these needs and provides further related advantages.